Taking a road trip by yourself is a way to unwind, experience new sights and get some quality alone time. One of the challenges of a solo road trip is passing the time by yourself, especially if you're the type of person who enjoys social settings with plenty of friends. By keeping yourself occupied, especially during long stretches of driving, you'll feel as though the trip is passing faster.

Step 1

Speak to a few friends on the phone, using a hands-free device. Focus on friends with whom you can have a rich, long conversation, or those with whom you don't get to speak to on a regular basis. It's easy to spend an hour having a quality conversation, which will help you feel as though your trip is speeding by.

Step 2

Load your iPod with several hours of music, a variety of podcasts or an audio book, and connect the device to your car's stereo system. Many audio books, for example, can be more than six hours in length, which can take up a substantial part of your road trip, if not all of it.

Step 3

Browse through your car's stereo to listen to different radio stations. When you're traveling in a new city or state, it's often interesting to hear talk radio programs that you haven't heard.

Step 4

Invest in a guidebook or browse the Internet before you embark on your trip to research notable sights along the way. Stopping at an interesting site doesn't make the journey faster, but it can re-energize you and give you something about which to be excited during the trip.

Tip

If you plan to use your phone for an extended period, remember your phone charger.

References

About the Author

Toronto-based journalist William McCoy has been writing since 1997, specializing in topics such as sports, nutrition and health. He serves as the Studio's sports and recreation section expert. McCoy is a journalism graduate of Ryerson University.